Gary Craig - Yesterday Into Day (Self-Released)

Often, an artist’s archive is better left sealed, but sometimes, like Bruce Springsteen or Neil Young, that archive is a veritable treasure trove waiting to be rediscovered. Alabama singer-songwriter Gary Craig takes this concept and offers a wonderful hybrid rerecording of his older material on his album fittingly titled Yesterday Into Day. There is a fantastic nostalgic quality to the songs, because Craig originally wrote them in the early 90s and recently rediscovered them. As time and aging are common themes throughout the album, it is fascinating to listen to an artist with a new perspective sing these songs written by his younger self.

Surprisingly, the lyrics sound as though they might as well have been written by Craig only days ago not years. For all of the prog rock trappings of “Carousel of Time” or the impressionistic imagery on the piano ballad “Generations” there is a nuanced maturity that can be found everywhere on Craig’s musings on life and the ticking of the clock. A true standout on the record is the synthpop departure “It Never Bothered Me,” and if it had only been released in the 80s it could have easily found a home on any John Hughes soundtrack. Although Craig may not have the fame of the Boss, Yesterday Into Day is a beautiful and profound artistic statement, and it proves that there is value and growth possible in searching through the past for all of us.